


In Sickness

by Lafeae



Series: Brotherhood [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Brotherly Love, Gen, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 19:12:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14721968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lafeae/pseuds/Lafeae
Summary: Mokuba falls sick, and he’s just as stubborn as his older brother even when he needs taken care of.





	In Sickness

**Author's Note:**

> Can kinda be linked a bit to In the Rain.

Kaiba hadn’t noticed how little Mokuba ate that morning. He proclaimed himself done and they left out the door. 

Kaiba hadn’t noticed, in the car ride over to drop Mokuba at school, that he had wiped his nose on his sleeve. 

Kaiba hadn’t noticed, from the brief gaze as he watched Mokuba halfway up the walk and into a gaggle of kids his age, that hadn’t ran up with the same enthusiasm as normal. 

There had been no complaint. A wide smile. Mokuba has been up at the same hour, doing the same morning exercises in front of the television. 

It was out of Kaiba’s mind once he was at work, aware that Mokuba had called Yugi the day before in regards to picking up a small shipment from the Kame Game Shop that Kaiba had ordered. With intention, he was aware, that Mokuba would be staying over late. It meant that Kaiba didn’t have to worry about picking him up until the evening. They’d agreed on eight, so they could have a late dinner. 

Once most employees left at six, Kaiba has strolled down to the R and D labs and began tinkering with a design to try and move along the deadline to a Christmas release. Wishful thinking. 

His phone started ringing at a quarter til seven. A quick flick of the wrist to answer through the headset. 

“Kaiba Seto. Be succinct.” 

“Oh, uh....”an accented drawl. Jounouchi. “Is...is that...?” 

A hum of annoyance to Jounouchi’s stutter, which Kaiba refused to answer. “Why are you calling?” 

“For Moki. He don’t want to worry ya, but Yugi thinks he’s sick, an’ maybe that he needs ta go home. Ya want us to...?” 

“No. I’ll come there,” Kaiba replied. His hand hovered over the headset, though he paused to add a quick: “Thank you.” He cut the call before Jounouchi could say anything else. 

Getting there took less time than it should have. The number of traffic violations may not have fit on both hands. While it wasn’t an emergency, it was a concern that he had missed the signs. Thinking back, it all added together. In the short drive, Kaiba internally berated himself for his lack of sight on the matter. 

Once there, he was calm as he entered the shop front, though so focused on finding Mokuba and tending to his well-being that he didn’t even see who was behind the counter. The sound of the bell must have alerted someone, a faint sound of scraping and shuffling coming from the back. Jounouchi stood behind a wavering Mokuba, fighting with each step and shaking his head. He stopped in the middle of his walk to cough. 

“He’s got a lotta somethin’ in there,” Jounouchi said. 

“I’m fine, really,” Mokuba protested. His voice was a little hoarse, and his cheeks were flushed. Kaiba kept his facade as plain as he could so he didn’t betray any of his worry. 

His and swept up Mokuba’s bangs before pulling away and touching his own neck. Kaiba urged Mokuba towards the car sternly, and he received no more protest. As the boy walked, Kaiba hiked up his backpack to settle on both his shoulders. One of the straps slipped again as Mokuba went out the door. 

Another pair of footsteps were coming up from behind, but Kaiba was prepared to leave, only looking back to ask: “Did any of you have him take anything?”

“No,” Yugi replied. “He wouldn’t let us. He wanted to stay and—“

“It was my idea ta call ya,” Jounouchi said. “Siblin’s can be pretty stubborn, if ya know what I mean.”

Kaiba nodded and pushed his way out the door. He wasn’t about to keep spending time to build rapport with Jounouchi over the fact that they were both born with a sibling. It just wasn’t quite the same. Deep down, however, he appreciated it. 

Back in the car, Mokuba had pulled his legs up in the seat and wrapped his arms around them. A small cough racked him, along with a shiver. He wiped his nose on his sleeve. Kaiba opened the passenger door while stripping off his suit jacket, lying it over top of Mokuba. Small hands gripped it close to his shoulders. The pocket square was snatched out of its place and wordlessly urged towards Mokuba where he refused to admit he may have needed to blow his nose.

Around to the driver’s side, slipped into the car, Kaiba took off back towards home. One hand was on the wheel, the other draped overtop of Mokuba’s shoulders, squeezing one. Somewhere along the way, Mokuba had leaned over and was almost asleep on the glove compartment between them. 

At home, Kaiba scooped Mokuba up, his back pack slung one Kaiba’s shoulder. “Mmm...Seto...”

Kaiba rubbed Mokuba’s back all the way up to his disorderly room. Mokuba has wrapped his arms around Kaiba’s neck not long after being picked up. “To bed with you,” Kaiba ordered. 

“Noooo...”

“Ye-es. Go on and get in your pajamas.” 

As much as Mokuba protested, he did as was asked of him. Kaiba swept around the house to gather the essentials (medicine, his phone and a tablet, a blanket for himself) that they needed for the night so he didn’t have to stray far from Mokuba’s room; he’d asked for a maid to heat up soup for the both of them and leave once she delivered it. 

Kaiba settled in a chair nearby, eyeing the lump of blankets with black hair protruding from them. “Stay up for just a little bit longer, kiddo.”

A groan, the blankets pulled down while Kaiba tried to force feed him medicine despite his protest. After, the troll returned under the covers, with only his eyes peeked out to stare at his brother while he interacted with the maid. The door closed. Food was offered to Mokuba while his was set to the side. It was much less forced for Mokuba sit up in the cocoon of blankets. 

“You eatin’, nii-sama?”

“I will. You first,” Kaiba said. 

Guilt ate at the elder brother. He felt like he should have known from the beginning of the day. There were signs, and he didn’t see them. This was the best way he could think to make up for it, though he knew that it wasn’t any different than any other time Mokuba was sick. He would stay up all night if that’s what it took. 

The bowl was settled on the edge of the nightstand, and Kaiba pushed it back so it didn’t fall before he took his own. Mokuba was back under the covers, though his weak voice asked: “Nii-sama?”

“Hm?”

“Read me a story...”

Done. Without hesitation.


End file.
